<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>can't stay mad at you by deans_honeybee</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26060710">can't stay mad at you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/deans_honeybee/pseuds/deans_honeybee'>deans_honeybee</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers Feels, Emotional Hurt, Hurt Bucky Barnes, Hurt Steve Rogers, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Sad with a Happy Ending, Steve Rogers Feels, Tired Bucky Barnes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:20:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,615</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26060710</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/deans_honeybee/pseuds/deans_honeybee</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After an extremely heated argument, Steve forces Bucky to stay on the couch while he takes the bedroom. They’ve had arguments before, but this one feels a little different. Will things work out for the two of them?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes &amp; Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. 'Never-Wrong' Rogers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I decided to change it up a little bit from the typical super fluffy stuff that I write! Since it is still my writing, it does have a happy ending (so don’t worry!)I just wanted to challenge myself a little bit because I obviously need to keep improving 😂. Please let me know if you enjoyed this with kudos or a comment (it would be appreciated! no pressure, though, of course).<br/>One more quick note: in this AU, Bucky has two different jobs that sometimes overlap each other in terms of workdays (not hours!), leaving him with occasional full-day workdays, while Steve runs missions with the other Avengers (it’ll make more sense in the story!) Since I’m not planning to develop this into anything else, it didn’t have to make much logical sense (it’s just for the sake of their argument). Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this if you take the time to read it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For Bucky, a long day at work was nothing new. Almost every day, his schedule was jam-packed with meetings and projects that would take up a lot of his time and energy. The one thing Bucky always had to look forward to was seeing Stevie once he got home, where they would always make sure to spend the night together. For the two of them, they filled nearly every bedtime with cuddles and lots of loving.</p>
<p>Today was one of those days where it felt longer than most. Bucky had multiple larger-than-normal projects to get done and had many important business meetings during the day. Today was <em> also </em> the day of the week where his two jobs overlapped, leaving him with an excruciatingly long workday. He had even missed lunch today, and Bucky rarely <em> ever </em> misses his lunch break. On top of that, he had a special birthday delivery to make to Natasha the next morning, to which Steve had taken the day off and promised Bucky he’d help finish. So when Bucky comes home to a house with nothing to give to Nat and no dinner prepared, Bucky is just a <b> <em>tiny</em> </b> bit frustrated.</p>
<p>“Steve? Are you home?” Bucky echoes throughout the first floor as she shuts their maroon front door. In front of him is an empty kitchen: no food on the table, and only a few lights on. “What the hell?” Bucky thinks to himself, wondering where the dinner was. Steve doesn’t always make dinner for the two of them, but tonight was his night. Not to mention, there was no birthday gift for Natasha to be seen.</p>
<p>A moment later, Steve pokes his head out from the hallway. “Shit,” Bucky hears Steve whisper as he ducks back into the washroom. “Just a second, Buck!” Steve calls, slight worry and hesitation in his voice. Bucky taps his foot impatiently and bites his lip as he waits for Steve.</p>
<p>“Hey, Buck. How was your day at work?” Steve asks as he comes down the hall in a hurry. Bucky presses his lips together and clicks his tongue before he responds, “Hey, sweetie. Oh, you know, it was alright. It was very long, and I’m tired. Say, what happened to dinner, Steve? And the present for Nat?”</p>
<p>Steve flinches slightly but stands his ground. He ducks his head in guilt and embarrassment. “Listen, I know Bucky, but I had plenty of reasons not toー” Steve starts.</p>
<p>Now Bucky didn’t know if it was due to his exhaustion from a long day of work, his hunger from missing lunch at the said busy day of work, or something else. Whatever it was, he couldn’t control himself from flying off the handle. “Steve, are you fucking kidding me? I had <em> so </em> many things to do today, and you know that! But I got them all done. You had today off to do <b> <em>nothing</em> </b> but the few things I asked you to do! Was that too hard to ask? I was supposed to get this gift to Nat by tomorrow morning at 8!” he screams.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Buck, I did try to get around to it,ー” Steve interjects.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Bucky interrupts him before he can finish. “No, Steve! You purposely took today off so you could help me out! We both knew I was going to have an <em> extremely </em> crazy day at work today with all of my meetings, and Nat has been asking me to give my birthday gift to her for a whole two weeks now! What could you <em> possibly </em> have had to do all day until after I got home? It’s 10:00 pm, for God’s sake. And not only did you not get around to it, but you didn’t even bother to let me know! I at <em> least </em> could have gone out to grab everything after work and before coming home, but I had to find out after I got here. So yeah, I’m a little pissed!”</p>
<p>Steve just stares at him straight-faced. He rubs his hands together in silence. Regardless, it doesn’t look like he’s about to say anything, so Bucky takes the cue to continue expressing his frustrations.</p>
<p>“And you know what? You’re not even going to admit you should have gotten around to it. Because you never admit that you’re wrong! I know that I usually put up with it Rogers: and I still love you, Steve, but I really can’t tonight. And I’m sorry, but I really needed your help today. Nat’s counting on me. I promised Nat I’d get her birthday present to her tomorrow, and now <em> I </em> have to get up at the crack of dawn <em> again </em> because you couldn’t follow through on your promise.”</p>
<p>Steve continues to stare at Bucky. He takes a moment to formulate his next thought very wisely. “Have you cooled off yet?” Steve inquires with a slightly raised eyebrow. Bucky doesn’t respond, nostrils flared and breathing heavy. Steve continues by saying, “you know, I was going to say that Sam came to me with an emergency mission today so I couldn’t get around to it right away, but you didn’t let me finish. So you know what? You’re staying in the living room tonight. I’m taking the bed.”</p>
<p>Bucky’s jaw drops, astonished. He knows he’s acting like a jerk, but it still hurts. “You’re banishing me to the couch? Steve, Iー, I didn’t mean it, you know that. I just, I had an extremely long day at work today, and I’m starving, and Iー Steve. Steve,” Bucky rambles, realizing he probably shouldn’t have blown up like that.</p>
<p>Bucky waits, hopeful that Steve will change his mind. However, Steve plants his foot and turns his head away from Bucky. He turns around and starts walking towards the cabinet to grab a glass for his night-time water, not saying a word.</p>
<p>Seeing this response, Bucky rolls his eyes, firing him up again. “You know what? Fine. Mr. ‘Never-Wrong Rogers’ can take the bed tonight. But I’m taking Alpine with me. I’m done.” The white furball mews softly as Bucky picks her up from her stomach and curls her legs into the crook of his elbow. With one final huff, Bucky storms into the living room, slamming the French-style doors behind him. </p>
<p>Still holding his glass, Steve sighs heavily. “Oh Buck, what am I gonna do with you,” he mutters as he walks up the stairs, mentally and emotionally drained.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Reminiscing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After their fight, Steve and Bucky think about the times they shared together.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Bucky</b>
</p>
<p>After storming off, Bucky decides to lie down on the couch for a little while, considering he was still exhausted from his long day. He plugs in his headphones but doesn’t fall asleep quite yet. Alpine walks around the living room and sits on the cat tree for a bit, but eventually chooses to hop on Bucky’s stomach. After circling a few times, the white kitten lies down, resting on his ribcage. </p>
<p>Bucky's stomach rumbles beneath Alpine, alerting him of how hungry he was since he hadn’t eaten anything but some oatmeal and a coffee all day. It also reminded him that he was still in his work clothes. Luckily, he could grab an oversized tee and shorts from his clean laundry pile in the washroom downstairs. Reluctant to wake Alpine, Bucky whispers, “sorry, girl,” as he cradles the sleeping kitty to lay her back down on the couch. “I’ll be back in shortly. Stay here,” he requests as if she was going to get up and move.</p>
<p>Once he was up, Bucky poked his head into the kitchen and down the hall to make sure Steve wasn’t in there. Bucky couldn’t bring himself to deal with him anymore tonight. After doing a thorough scan and finding nothing but an empty kitchen, Bucky breathes a sigh of relief and quietly makes his way to the washroom to change. He slips out of his dress shirt and slacks, and into his more comfortable pajamas, pulling his custom Alpine calf-length socks afterward. He does one last double-check before sliding his way into the kitchen.</p>
<p>“What do we have here?” Bucky asks himself, searching through the refrigerator. Each shelf was filled with Tupperware, some leftovers, some ingredients for tomorrow night’s dinner. After a complete examination of the fridge and freezer, Bucky decides on a container of grilled shrimp, brown rice, and mixed vegetables. He dumps the Tupperware onto a plate and opens the microwave, putting the food inside.</p>
<p>As Bucky waits for his food to cook, he plays the next song in his playlist and begins to hum along, making sure to remain nearly silent so he wouldn’t wake Steve. Before he knows it, he’s hopping around to the rhythm, socks sliding recklessly on the kitchen floor. He is enjoying being in a bit of a better mood until he hears the obnoxious microwave alarm go off. “Shoot!” Bucky yelps under his breath, clenching his jaw. He speeds to the door and flings it open before Steve has the chance to wake up. </p>
<p>While Bucky takes his food out of the microwave and lets it cool slightly, he thinks about dancing in the kitchen some more. Usually, that is something he’d do while Steve sips his morning coffee, laughing as Bucky would sing into the spatula for their eggs. <em> “Join me, Steve!” </em> Bucky would insist. Steve would always raise his hand and shake his head no as he took another sip of his coffee. <em> “This one’s all on you, Buck. And you know I love your singing, honey. I wouldn’t want to ruin your solo,” </em>he’d respond, pleasantly amused.</p>
<p>He couldn’t do that now, Bucky thought. Steve was pissed at him. Bucky’s face drops for a moment, but he shakes it away.<em> “No, no,” </em> Bucky tells himself. <em> “I asked him to do something for me, and he promised he would. But he didn’t do it when I needed his help.” </em></p>
<p>Sighing, Bucky reaches for a glass in the cupboard and fills it with some ice water. He brings his meal into the living room to avoid interaction with Steve at all costs. As he eats, he tries his best to focus on Alpine, petting her and giving her many tiny kisses. He just <em>r</em><em>eally </em>didn’t want to put any more energy into Steve tonight.</p>
<p>Once Bucky finishes his very late dinner, he pushes his plate to the center of the table. He’d worry about clearing that up in the morning. Bucky sets up the couch with sheets and a pillow, glad to be able to lie down again. As Bucky scrolls through his phone and listens to his music, he begins to get tired. He decides that he should try to get some rest, especially considering he needs to get up at 6:00 am to prepare Nat’s gift.</p>
<p>Bucky feels tired as he plans to fall asleep, but getting himself to get some rest is a different story. His brain can’t stop overthinking their fight, even though he’d prefer it if his mind would settle down. He doesn’t want to obsess over Steve anymore tonight. This fight felt different, more significant than their typical playful banter. Arguments were usual for the two of them, but Bucky can’t help but worry about this one. Steve has <em>never </em>told Bucky to stay on the couch. Ever.</p>
<p><em> “He’s such an ass,” </em> Bucky thinks, trying to convince himself that what happened wasn’t because of himself in any way. But deep down, Bucky knew it was his fault. He continues to stress over their argument, his own words replaying in his mind. <b> <em>“And you know what? You’re not even going to admit you should have gotten around to it. Because you never admit that you’re wrong!”</em> </b> and, <b> <em> “You know what? Fine. Mr. ‘Never-Wrong Rogers’ can take the bed tonight. But I’m taking Alpine with me. I’m done.” </em> </b> How could Bucky have said those things to Steve? He didn’t <em>really </em>mean any of it. He was just tired, in need of food, and just <em>f</em><em>rustrated</em>.</p>
<p>Bucky’s thoughts begin to turn negative as he continues to overanalyze the entire situation<em>. “If anything happens to us, it’s because of me. I don’t deserve Stevie…” </em> Bucky convinces himself. Bucky rolls over and presses his face into his hands, stifling his tears. Why did he sabotage himself like this?</p>
<p>Hours later, Bucky is still wide awake. He can’t help but picture Steve's smiling face, his ocean blue eyes soft with joy. That was a smile reserved only for Bucky. Not once did any of the other Avengers get a chance to see him like that. Bucky thinks about Steve’s laugh and the soft chuckle he’d give Bucky when Steve found him adorable. Bucky would always duck his head and get out a <em> “Steveee… ”, </em>cheeks aflame. </p>
<p>Reminiscing on all of their incredible memories makes Bucky realize what a fool he was for yelling at Steve. No matter how drained he was, there would always be a way for the two of them to fix it. There always had been. He should have let Steve finish what he needed to say instead of being such a hothead. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Bucky missed Steve. Bucky curls onto his side and cradles Alpine in his arms. “Sorry, munchkin,” he coos as his tears fall into her snow-white fur, catching on the fluff. He had to tell Steve how he felt tomorrow, but he wasn’t sure how. Surely Steve wouldn’t want to talk with him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Steve</b>
</p>
<p>After Steve gets upstairs, he does all the necessary things: brush his teeth, clean up, change, and get into bed. As he lies there awake, Steve thinks to himself, <em> “did I just do that?” </em> As time passes, Steve begins to think about Bucky.</p>
<p>Somehow, Bucky was able to come across as being constantly cocky around Steve, while still being shy and delicate. He was fragile yet strong, sweet yet adorably grumpy. He was able to balance everything out, creating the perfect human being. Steve missed Bucky’s bright smile and his steel-blue eyes that would gleam only around Steve. It had only been a few hours, but being away from Bucky felt like an eternity for Steve.</p>
<p>Steve looks over to his right, looking at the crisp linen sheets and empty space. Steve felt lonely for the first time in a while. He missed how safe he felt in bed with Bucky there next to him. He missed their bedtime cuddles: how they’d say one final goodnight and roll onto their sides to be back-to-back. Every single night, they’d inevitably turn back to each other again, pressing their foreheads together in the night. They’d wrap their arms around each other and entangle their ankles around each other, Alpine always amidst the sea of Steve and Bucky. Steve rolls over onto his side, missing his partner.</p>
<p><em> “I shouldn’t have reacted so harshly,” </em> Steve tells himself. <em> “I was the one who didn’t do what I promised I would. He had such a long day, and he was exhausted and starving. I just couldn’t care for him when he needed it.” </em> As Steve presses his face into his pillow, letting out quiet sobs, he convinces himself that it’s his fault if anything happens to them. <em> “I don’t deserve Bucky.” </em></p>
<p>He didn’t want to admit it, but Steve missed Bucky. But there was no way in hell that Steve could ever tell him. He hated it in times like these, but his pride could never falter and let Steve apologize. He would never live it down if he did.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Next Morning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The next morning comes, and Steve goes for his typical run with Sam. Bucky gets up to deliver his gift to Nat. Can Bucky catch Steve before it's too late?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>The Next Morning</b>
</p><p>After a long, nearly restless night, the sound of birds chirping outside wakes Steve. It was 5:30 am, and he had promised Sam he’d go for a run with him. He was drained and feeling down, but he figured he needed to follow through on at least one promise. Steve swiftly changes into his running gear and heads downstairs. Since Bucky is a heavy sleeper, Steve begins to brew a coffee to drink before he heads out. They’d be out for a few hours, and he barely got any sleep, so he’d need all the caffeine he could get. At 5:45, Steve heads out the door, excited to try and get his mind off of his and Bucky’s argument from the night before.</p><p>Fifteen minutes after Steve leaves, Bucky releases a long yawn and stretches out his limbs, his hands and feet hitting the armrests of the couch as he does so. Alpine, still resting next to Bucky, lets out a tiny trill as she stretches with him.  It was 6:00 am, so Bucky knew he had to get up and make breakfast. Natasha’s gift wasn’t going to purchase and deliver itself.</p><p>Bucky moseys into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. Since he was up thinking about Steve nearly all night, he was still fatigued. He gets to the counter to see that there is a piping hot pot of coffee: it must be freshly brewed. Steve must be in the washroom or something. Realizing that he wanted to apologize to Steve, Bucky begins to wander through the first floor, looking for him.</p><p>“Hey, Steve! Stevie! Sー... Steve?” Bucky calls out, finding no one. <em> “Where’d he go?” </em> he wonders. Bucky does one last search for Steve, but still, there was nothing. “He must be on his run with Sam. Maybe I can catch him in the park before he gets home,” Bucky figures, hoping that he’d be able to make up with Steve before he got back. </p><p>Bucky eagerly pours himself a cup of coffee in a to-go mug and grabs an apple to eat as he walks. He quickly runs upstairs to change, grabs his wallet and breakfast, and heads out the door with newfound anticipation in his step.</p><p>Moving as quickly as possible, Bucky makes it to the store to pick up Nat’s custom gift. It was a printed canvas with a photo of Bucky, Natasha, Alpine, and Liho. Bucky and Nat were laughing in the picture while holding their kittens, most likely laughing at Steve, who said something stupid behind the camera. Bucky doesn’t remember anymore, but he thinks that Nat will love it. </p><p>“Could you wrap this for me, please?” Bucky asks the lady working at the store. She nods with a small smile, covering the canvas with red wrapping paper. Bucky watches as she pulls a ribbon around the gift, curling the ends into little spirals. She hands the picture to Bucky. “Thank you so much. Have a great rest of your day!” he says, giving her the money and jogging out the door.</p><p>Holding the wrapped canvas, Bucky makes his way down the busy streets of Brooklyn. He was lucky that Nat didn’t live too far from the picture store, because her gift was a little too big and awkward to hold for Bucky’s liking. <em> “Maybe I should have gotten a size down,” </em> Bucky tells himself as he walks. </p><p>A few minutes later, Bucky is knocking on the door to Natasha’s apartment. “Hey Nat, I’m here! Can I come in?” he calls. The cream door opens, revealing Nat with a big grin on her face. “Hey Buck, come on in,” she answers, motioning him to come inside. As Bucky looks around, he notices the nearly empty walls. There are pieces of artwork here and there, but Bucky ultimately thinks that this was a smart gift idea.</p><p>Bucky gives Nat a shy smile as he hands her the present. “I hope you like it. I know it’s a little big, butー” Bucky starts, but he is interrupted by Natasha’s small gasp. She covers her mouth, hiding the smile that very few people can get out of her. “<em> Oh </em>, Bucky, this is lovely. Thank you,” Nat says with smiling eyes. Bucky laughs as he responds, “it was nothing. I’m glad you like it, though.” </p><p>“But hey, why did you decide on this picture?” she questions, the left corner of her lip pulled up into a sly smirk. “Oh, you know. I figured Alpine and Liho would do a good job of making us look better,” Bucky replies wittily. Natasha rolls her eyes but picks up the canvas, placing it by the wall where she plans to hang it up.</p><p>Bucky checks his watch. It was 8:00 now, which meant Steve was most likely almost done with his run. He and Sam always met up for coffee and a small breakfast first, and then at 6:30, they’d go for their two-hour run. “Hey, Nat. I’m sorry, but I have to go now. I need to catch Steve in the park before he gets home,” he explains.</p><p>“Why, what did you do?” she inquires smugly. “How did you… what? I didn’t do anything,” Bucky insists. Nat glares at Bucky, knowing he’s lying to her. Bucky eventually breaks. “Fine. Last night I couldn’t stop myself from blowing up at Steve because he didn’t pick up your gift or make dinner, even though he said he would. I said some <em> awful </em> things to him, and he made me stay on the couch last night.”</p><p>Nat’s eyes widen slightly, appalled. “Steve told <em> you </em> to sleep downstairs last night? What the hell did you say to him?” Bucky interlaces his fingers and rubs a circle on his left palm with his right thumb. “I don’t know, Nat. I was tired and starving from a long day at work, and, ugh, I just said things I shouldn’t have. I yelled at him for never admitting he was wrong, I may have used the name ‘Never-Wrong Rogers, and I definitely threw cusses in there. I feel awful, Nat. I miss him.”</p><p>Nat sucks in a breath through gritted teeth. “Oh, Buck. That’s awful. He got that upset with you?” Bucky nods solemnly. Nat sighs before she says to Bucky, “you know, I’m sorry, but you both are such <em> idiots </em>. You both know that you didn’t mean the things you said. You miss him, and I’d have a hard time believing he didn’t miss you too.”</p><p>Bucky pulls back his head, taken aback by Nat’s honesty. “Hey!” he starts, but finishes with an, “ugh, I know Nat. You’re right. I’ve got to go talk to him.” Nat rolls her eyes once again but takes her hand to Bucky’s back. “Come on then! You’ve got to catch him!” she jokes, pushing him out the door. Bucky turns around and smiles. <em> “Go!” </em> she insists. Bucky nods and begins running towards the exit. “And thanks for the birthday gift!” Nat shouts, but Bucky has already run out the door.</p><p>Bucky makes his way down to the park as fast as he can. He’s dragged along for runs with Steve often, so he knows the path that he and Sam always take. Bucky finds a bench off to the side, situated under a tree with some shade. He looks behind him to see Steve and Sam running quite a ways down the path. They’d be there soon enough, so Bucky hurries to sit down and pull out his phone.</p><p>The nearest bench that Bucky could find was a little way off the path, so he was hoping Steve would notice him. He didn’t want to call out in the middle of the park: that would bring too much attention to them. Bucky anxiously waits on the bench and tries to be subtle by using his phone, but he can’t help but stare at Steve as he runs.</p><p>Steve and Sam are passing by an intersection when someone catches Steve’s eye on a nearby bench. <em> “Who is that?” </em> Steve wonders as he runs. Dark brown hair, steel-blue eyes, <em> very </em> handsome. It takes Steve a moment, but it eventually clicks. <em> “Bucky.” </em></p><p>“Wait for just a second, Sam. Can you wait here? There’s someone I’ve got to meet. I’ll be back in a moment,” Steve asks. Nodding, Sam gestures with his hand while answering, “Yeah, sure, man. It’ll give me a second to catch my breath.” Steve thanks Sam and runs back to the bench by the intersection. Just in case it wasn’t who he thought it was, he holds back as he questions, “Bucky?”</p><p>The man looks up and over his shoulder, facing Steve. Here was Bucky, waiting in the park for him. “Steve? I was waiting for you, but I didn’t want to cause a scene,” Bucky starts, embarrassed. He stands immediately and throws himself into Steve. He’s reluctant at first, but eventually, Steve wraps his arms around Bucky, allowing Bucky to nestle his chin over Steve’s shoulder. Bucky gives into the hug just as much, gripping Steve tighter once Steve moves his arms around Bucky.</p><p>“Steve, I thought I’d lost you,” Bucky begins, sniffling. “I know you didn’t kick me out, but this was the worst fight we’ve had. I’m so sorry, Stevie.” His eyes begin to water, guilt flowing through every ounce of his body. Bucky’s choked up, but he manages to finish by explaining, “you know I didn’t mean it, right? I was just having a really stressful day at work, and well, you know the rest.”</p><p>Steve rubs circles on Bucky’s back: he’s starting to cry now too. What comes out of his mouth next was something that would be solely for Bucky: his pride would only let its guard down for the one he truly loved. “I know, Buck. But I shouldn’t have said what I did. You were having a long day, and I couldn’t follow through on my end of the deal. And for what it’s worth, I probably did have the time to make the quick stop for Natasha. And for that, I’m sorry.”</p><p>Bucky pulls out of their hug, appalled at what Steve had just said. Still teary-eyed, Bucky laughs as he says, “Woah, did I just hear an apology from Steve ‘Never-Wrong’ Rogers?” Steve huffs out a breath of laughter as he pulls Bucky back in for another comforting embrace. “Oh, shut up, Buck. But I really do mean it, sweetheart.”</p><p>Bucky breathes in Steve’s musky scent, pleased to be getting that warm comfort again. “I’ve missed you so much, Steve, and I know it was only a night. But I don’t want to do that again. I couldn’t sleep at all because I was so busy thinking about you,” he whispers. “Shhh, I know. I’ve missed you too, Bucky. Heck, I was up all night thinking about you. I’m so sorry for putting us in that situation, honey. We’ve gotten through some tough times before. There were so many better ways to handle that than the way we did. I think we were both idiots,” Steve replies. </p><p>Bucky snickers a bit as he pulls away from their second hug. “You know, Nat said the same thing to me this morning when I dropped off her gift. She loved it, by the way. But you know, I think she knows us better than we know ourselves.” Steve raises his eyebrows and gives Bucky an uneven grin as he responds, “yeah, I think she hit the nail right on the head.”</p><p>Both Steve and Bucky laugh then, eyes squinting and noses scrunching. Steve stops first to ask, “so Nat liked her gift?” Bucky gives Steve a warm smile and says, “she sure did. You know, I’m pretty sure we were laughing at something stupid you said behind the camera in the picture we gave her.” “Oh, well, you know. I am pretty stupid sometimes,” Steve declares jokingly. “Speaking of which, do you forgive me, Bucky? Because I forgive you.”</p><p>Bucky gives Steve one last playful eye roll and nudges Steve’s rib with the back of his hand. “Oh, Steve,” Bucky says, “you know I can’t stay mad at you.”</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>